Amazing Antique Suffragette Gilt Bronze Dragon Bracelet
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Pre 1930 item# 701482
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The early feminist who first owned this bracelet must have felt mighty powerful with it on her arm! She had a legion of dragons on parade, along with her bold Suffragette colors, plus nearly 100 grams in weight from the ornate gilt bronze metalwork and stones. It's clearly for a woman who likes her jewelry to bowl people over -- and could even be a weapon, if need be!
When green, violet and white appear together on historic jewelry, as they do here, this unusual color combination typically signifies that the piece was first owned by a member of the Suffragette movement -- for whom green represented hope, purple signified dignity and white stood for purity. The language we associate with "regard" jewelry applied, too: The "G" of green, "W" of white and "V" of violet comprised an abbreviation for Give Women (the) Vote. All this seems cryptic now, but was well understood by everyone in the days when messages were also communicated by which flowers you sent, how you held your fan and which corner of a calling card you folded down, if any.
To the Suffragettes' efforts through many decades in the U.K. and U.S., we modern women owe our right to vote. That right was finally extended to all American women in 1920 and to all in Great Britain in 1928. Thus, although most of the jewelry is Victorian, Edwardian or transitional, some dates from the Art Deco era.
This spectacular bracelet was probably among the last examples, dating from the 1920s, despite being very Art Nouveau in form. This is based on the type of clasp and the presence of a safety chain with the spring ring catch that came in around 1920. Based on both dating and the metalwork, it was most likely made in France, long renowned for skill with gilt bronze. The fabulous mounds of faux jade appear to be art glass, but seem actually to be of an early plastic (probably Galalith, invented in the 1890s). They're accompanied by twinkling amethyst pastes and faux pearls, all of which look original. Condition of the bracelet is lovely, its provenance is a Midwestern estate and the length is about 7 inches, right for the average wrist. If your wrist is smaller, one of the six linked plaques could easily be removed (and turned into a pendant or ring).
Suffragette jewelry has been rapidly gaining value since the star-studded TV movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what those gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they're getting much harder to find.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Art Nouveau Suffragette Lavaliere Necklace
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Pre 1920 item# 701475
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Dating from the late 19th or very early 20th century, this spectacular antique necklace makes its feminist statement in a pretty, flirty way -- with a profusion of Art Nouveau leaves and flowers, lots of glittering jewels and a graceful lavalier form that sets the drop dancing as you move.
Both the surmount and the pendant are domed and highly sculptural. The gilt bronze is richly finished in two shades of rose gold: One is a slightly pink gold and the other deepens to red gold. As you know if you follow fashion, rose gold is the trendiest hue for jewelry now -- just as it was from circa 1890 until white metals became the rage in Edwardian times. Adorning it are a huge cabochon of art glass (or possibly Galalith) jade, four sparkling amethyst pastes and four faux pearls.
The unusual combination of green, purple and white typically signifies that a jewel was first owned by a member of the Suffragette movement. For them, green represented hope, purple signified dignity and white stood for purity. The language we associate with "regard" jewelry applied, too: The "G" of green, "W" of white and "V" of violet comprised an abbreviation for Give Women (the) Vote. All this seems cryptic now, but was clearly understood by everyone in an era when messages were also communicated by which flowers you sent, how you held your fan and which corner of a calling card you folded down, if any. To the Suffragettes' efforts through many decades in the U.K. and U.S., we modern women owe our right to vote. That right was finally extended to all American women in 1920 and to all in Great Britain in 1928. Thus, although most of the jewelry is Victorian, Edwardian or transitional, some was crafted in the Art Deco era. Forgotten for many years, these jewels have been rapidly gaining value since the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings). Wearing Suffragette jewels is a great way to show your pride and appreciation and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they're getting much harder to find.
This jewel, which reached us from a Utah estate, probably originated in France, long renowned for work in gilt bronze. It's quite a substantial piece and in lovely condition. A little age-appropriate surface wear can be noted on the reverse, but the front shows only the patina of time and all the stones appear original. The chain, although beautifully matched for color, is of a form developed a few decades later, so must have replaced an open-linked chain broken long ago. The brass filigree clasp is also too perfect to be original, but of the right style. Our price of course reflects the later additions. This is quite a substantial piece, as you'd expect with a bronze. The lavaliere is about 2.5 inches tall and the chain measures 7 inches on each side, so total hanging length is roughly 17 inches, allowing half an inch for the clasp. Most likely dating is circa 1895 - 1905.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail erinharris@comcast.net to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Antique Art Nouveau Suffragette Pendant Necklace
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Unsigned:
Pre 1910 item# 690513
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This antique Suffragette pendant is wonderfully opulent, richly jeweled with cabochons of amethyst and chrysoprase, half-pearls and even faceted amethysts and emeralds. Eight faux gemstones, four of significant size, are featured and they're of such quality they really have to be Bohemian. I expect the intricately layered and detailed setting of gilt filigree is, too, which makes the piece Austro-Hungarian -- probably crafted just before the war that ended their empire, sometime around 1910.
Suffragettes were marching across England and America then -- and also in other parts of Europe. Whether those in the East also used the Suffragette colors of green, white and violet (standing for Give Women the Vote), I don't know. The pendant was probably made for export, though, since it reached us from a Virginia estate. The original owner would have been near enough to Washington to participate in the mass marches that grew bigger and bigger through the early years of the 20th century.
Measuring about 1 1/4 inches tall and a little more than an inch wide, in an scrolling shape typical of Art Nouveau design, the pendant is in lovely condition, showing only age-appropriate surface wear, no damage. The stones have come through sublimely. The chain probably isn't original; it looks a little younger, but it's a good old one of the right color. Twenty-six inches long, it slips conveniently over the head, with no need for a clasp.
Wearing Suffragette jewels like this is a great way to show feminist pride and appreciation of the efforts of those who won our right to vote. That right was finally extended to all American women in 1920 and to all in Great Britain in 1928. Although forgotten for many years, these jewels have been rapidly gaining value since the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" appeared in 2004, revealing what the gals went through (including hunger strikes and beatings) and, now that the genre has been rediscovered, they're getting much harder to find. This is a piece that offers significant investment potential, as well as exceptional beauty.
There's no charge for insured U.S. shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Rare Female Centaur Brooch of Heavy Copper - 19th c.
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Pre 1900 item# 546479
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Researching this remarkable jewel led me to the fascinating discovery that there were "Female Centaur Clubs" in late 18th and early 19th century England. Both Mary Astell, the first British feminist, and Mary Wollstonecraft (later Gothic author Mary Shelley) were active in them. On one level, they were the feminine equivalent of young men's drinking clubs at Oxford and Cambridge, but these well-educated ladies nipping at the rum punch while reciting praise to female centaurs aimed for more than a good time. They wanted to unleash women's power and gain freedom and equality.
This brooch clearly evokes the spirit of those groups and could conceivably be old enough to have been worn by a member. It might well have been a button sewn to a garment, before a pinback was added to the crossbar. I understand that evidence of the clubs extends only to 1830 or so, but it was in the 1840s that the female suffrage movement really took off -- and, of course, it continued through the 19th century into the early 20th, until all English and American women had won the vote. Thus, this is a very difficult piece to date. Use of copper suggests Arts and Crafts influence and the centaur's flowing hair and shapely figure evoke Art Nouveau (although not so strongly as to rule out an earlier dating). We can eliminate the 20th century by the amount of patination (especially on the back), the rope-twist edge and the crossbar back. Because I can't be more precise, never having seen anything comparable, it's priced as a late 19th century jewel, whereas it may be early 19th century and worth a great deal more.
Any feminist will be proud to own this treasure, which also has clear appeal to horsewomen and to gals born under the sign of Sagittarius, for whom it could replace the male centaur Chiron as an astrological emblem. Size is 1 3/4 inches round, provenance is an East Coast estate and condition, as you see, is lovely.
There's no charge for insured Priority shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Dazzling Antique Edwardian Amber & Art Glass Choker
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Pre 1920 item# 534407
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This extraordinary Bohemian necklace captures all the opulence and imagination of the Belle Epoque in Eastern Europe -- the very end of an era, since Bohemia would emerge from World War I as Czechoslovakia, no longer part of a vanished Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although unsigned, it simply can't be other than Eastern European. Bohemia was well-known for the best and most inventive art glass, besides which the area has always awash with amber and the two oval cabochons here are the real thing. I love how they're teamed with the fanciful glass stone at center, plus citrine crystal drops and accents and even excellent faux moonstones at the edges. The look just couldn't be more lavish. It's easy to imagine on one of the beauties Klimt painted.
Although the necklace might be Late Victorian or transitional, most likely it was made circa 1905-1910. That's because the choker length was so important then and the Edwardians were nuts for jewels with lots of chandelier drops to swing and sway. The metal, gilt brass, has acquired a lovely rich patina over the past 100 years, but could be polished more brightly if you prefer that look. Fourteen inches long, the necklace has an early lobster clasp, among the earliest I've ever seen. Some age-appropriate surface wear is of course apparent under high magnification, but the naked eye observes none. Provenance is a Los Angeles estate -- appropriately, because this marvel is movie queen stuff.
There's no charge for insured U.S. Priority shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Layaway terms are available for this and all our treasures worth $150 or more. Thanks for looking!
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Superb German 1920s Celluloid Floral Garland Necklace
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Pre 1930 item# 504011
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Did your heart just stop? I believe mine did, when I first laid eyes on this diaphanous marvel worthy of the Goddess Flora. Antique floral cluster garland necklaces are rare in any color or condition, but finding one that's like new and in what most of us consider the loveliest hues of all doesn't happen often in a lifetime. Most necklaces of this type and quality are already in the hands of collectors who'll never, ever, ever let them go.
That said, here's perhaps your only chance to own a pre-World War II German lei of air-light celluloid in ethereal rose and green, with accents of buttercup yellow. The shapes are trumpet-like, resembling jonquils or tulips amid dewdrops, but the colors are what you'd see in a dream -- and the finishes are like frosted and cut glass, without the weight and worry associated with crystal.
Length of the strand is 20 inches, but it drapes like a choker because of its lush width. On the gilt reverse of its floral clasp, it's signed Germany -- neither East nor West, mind you, which supports the very early 20th century dating. If there's anything prettier or more romantic, I don't know what it could possibly be.
Even a brooch with just a few early celluloid flowers approaching this calibre is selling elsewhere online for close to $200, so our bountiful strand is a fabulous deal -- besides which there's no charge for insured U.S. Priority shipping and gift-wrap is always free when desired. Please e-mail to confirm availability, order or request more photos. Thanks for looking!
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Amazing Antique Heraldic Brooch w/ Serpent & Sword
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Pre 1930 item# 503996
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The design of this extraordinary jewel is mid-19th century Renaissance Revival, but its more modern clasp dates it to the Victorian Revival period of the 1920s -- about 60 years younger than it appears, but still antique.
A monster in more ways than one, it's almost 4 inches tall and 3 inches wide and features a serpents's or sea monster's head as the hilt of a broad scimitar beneath an elaborate crest and crown. Fashioned in three parts, rather like a military decoration, it has a band of heavy metal mesh separating the pendant and the upper brooch, which is also highly dimensional and blazoned with another crest. That upper crest features the two-headed eagle associated with Imperial Russia, so perhaps this was a design reissued in tribute to the newly-fallen Romanovs.
The material is richly gilded heavy brass with a rose gold hue even more evident on the reverse. Condition is lovely, relative to age. It's had a few bumps along the way, but nothing major. The large pearl of course is faux and shows some peeling under magnification.
You'd better grab fast, if you want it, because I'm so in love with this remarkable piece of gorgeousness that I may decide not to part with it. I've never seen anything remotely like it on either side of the Pond, so this jewel is rare. Oddly, it reached us from a Midwestern estate. Go figure.
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Retro Carmen Miranda Fruit Basket Earrings
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Pre 1950 item# 382079
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Here's real Carmen Miranda stuff - and just in time to complement the colorful, exotic fashions favored for spring and summer! You'll look delicious in these basket earrings piled high with luscious purple grapes, red apples, berries, bananas and more. They dangle about 1 1/2" below the ear and are approximately an inch wide! Better hurry and grab these or I'll decide to keep them for myself.
Probably dating from the World War II years in the 1940s, when most metals were commandeered for combat use and ladies made their own inventive accessories, they're definitely hand-crafted. Despite considerable age, the colors remain bright, the basket isn't frayed and the screw-on backs are in perfect working order. Provenance of these beauties is a New England estate.
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Charming Art Nouveau Revival Fairy or Angel Brooch
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Pre 1940 item# 348369
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GlitzQueen History and Art to Wear
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Of decidedly Art Nouveau Victorian design, this enchanting brooch betrays its somewhat younger age only when you look at the findings on the back. It's a fabulous value, because it dates from one of the Revival periods - probably the 1920s or 1930s, based on the extent of wear on the reverse, including small spots of verdigris that suggest the gilding was applied over a copper alloy, which wouldn't have been likely later. The front, as you see, is in marvelous condition. It takes high magnification to notice any sign of wear at all.
The wings behind the beautiful lady's head tell us she's either a fairy or an angel. Interpreting her as the former, you'll enjoy the jewel year-round - but it's also a perfect Christmas angel pin for the holiday season. Size is a can't-miss-it 1 3/4" by 1 1/2" and provenance is a New Mexico estate.
Size is a can't-miss-it 1 3/4" by 1 1/2" and provenance is a New Mexico estate.
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